“Like I ran my truck into a semi.”
Caden had left some clothes on the desk for Jordan, and Bailey was thankful. His mate was completely naked. The slim shifter had been a big help while Jordan was healing.
“Mark confirmed that your brakes were cut,” Bailey said, his stomach tying into knots at the thought of what could have happened to Jordan. He reached out and slapped Jordan’s shoulder. “Don’t you ever worry me like that again!”
Jordan grabbed his wrists and pulled Bailey close. “I promise not to have a psychotic man hunting me down anymore.”
Okay, so it sounded ridiculous to him, but Bailey had been terrified that Jordan had been killed when Bear told him about the accident. He never wanted to feel that level of fear again.
That thought slammed into Bailey so hard and so fast that he almost went to his knees under the anguish that he nearly lost Jordan. He pressed his hand against his chest when he couldn’t get enough air to his lungs.
“Breathe, baby.”
Bailey knew when his boss told him about Jordan that he was head over heels in love with the guy. He knew before then that Jordan had his heart, but he hadn’t known how deep his love ran until Bailey thought he lost his mate.
Bailey curled up next to Jordan, wrapping his arms around the muscular man’s body. His hands slid through Jordan’s raven hair as he thanked whoever was listening that Jordan hadn’t been taken from him.
Thick arms encircled him as Jordan ran his hand over Bailey’s back. “I’m fine, sweetheart,” Jordan said in a hushed tone. “Whoever it is will have to come better than that. I’m a tough cat to kill.”
“Don’t say that,” Bailey begged. “That’s twice you were almost taken from me. You shouldn’t joke about it.”
“Oh, honey.” Jordan squeezed him tight with his arms. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
Bailey finally pulled himself together, resting his head on Jordan’s chest. They lay like that for a while, Bailey inhaling his mate’s scent, Jordan brushing Bailey’s back with his knuckles. He wanted to find out who was trying to take his mate from him so he could kill the bastard. Bailey had finally found true happiness and he wasn’t going to let anyone take that away from him.
Jordan tapped his back. “Grab my clothes, baby. I need to get dressed and talk to Mark.”
Reluctantly, Bailey pulled away. He grabbed the stack Caden had left on the desk and handed the clothes to Jordan. He wanted to help his mate get dressed but knew the temptation was too much.
If he went near Jordan while he stood there gloriously naked, they wouldn’t make it out of the office for another hour or two. When Jordan was dressed, Bailey walked with his mate out to the bay. Mark was out there working on another car, already searching Jordan’s truck and sending the wreck in for scrap metal.
Even though they had proven Jordan’s brakes were cut, how were they going to accuse the Vampire Hunters in court? They couldn’t expose anything that was going on in this town. Bailey knew that and it angered him to know that whoever was doing this was getting away with trying to kill Jordan.
Mark glanced up from under the hood. “Glad to see you up and around,” he said as he wiped his hands on the shop rag he had stuffed in his back pocket. “I went over your truck.”
“Bailey told me.” Jordan moved closer, leaning his hip against the car Mark was working on. “I would love to know who cut my brakes. Now that I’m healed, I’d like to have a personal talk with them.”
Bailey knew what that personal talk would consist of. He’d already killed two men that Bailey knew of. He also knew that it wasn’t in the massive man’s nature to be violent. Jordan did what he had to do.
“Rio said he would give you a ride back to his place and then you can figure out things from there.”
“Are you firing me?” Jordan asked.
Bailey held his breath. None of this was his mate’s fault. Jordan hadn’t asked to be poisoned or have his brakes cut. If Mark fired him—
“Hell, no. You’re a damn good worker. I would be a fool to let you go. Just get this shit straightened out so you can get back to work. Things are piling up.” Mark slipped the rag back into his pocket. “If you need me, just call or text.”
“You called the cops for me, didn’t you?”
Mark nodded, his face set in tight lines. “I knew I wouldn’t make it there in time. I had to give you some sort of advantage.”
“Appreciate it.” Jordan slapped Mark on his shoulder. “I was pretty banged up.”
“Must be Rio,” Mark said.
Bailey turned when he heard the door to the shop open and had to do a double take. Was that really Harley? “What are you doing here?” The question just flew out of Bailey’s mouth, his tone wrapped in astonishment. Bailey didn’t understand when Jordan grabbed him and pulled Bailey behind his towering frame.
It was just Harley, the man who had broken his heart and played him for a fool. What was there to be concerned—Oh! Bailey spotted the gun in Harley’s hand.
“You recognize him?” Jordan asked.
“That’s Harley Grouper,” Bailey stated, still feeling a bit strange to see the man after all this time. Now that he was mated to Jordan, Bailey was beginning to wonder what he had ever seen in the scoundrel. He wasn’t that good-looking, and he was a bit on the lean side.
Bailey had grown used to Jordan’s large, teddy bear size. He loved it. Although it made him seem a bit small compared to his mate, Jordan never made Bailey feel as if he were any less of a man.
“It was you!” Jordan bellowed with outrage. “You are the one who has been trying to kill me.”
“What!” Bailey was shocked. Harley
